Railroad-cafndoor cleat or fastener



J. B. ROBINSON.

FASTENER. Patented Jan.. 26, .1886.

UNITED STATES "PATENT JAMES B. ROBINSON, OF GHIOAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAlLROAD-CAR-DOOR CLEAT OR FASTENER.

srnoirieariotr forming part of Letters Patent No, 335,092, dated January 26,1886. Application filed May 28. 1885. Serial No. 166,928. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES B. ROBINSON, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Oar -Door' Cleats or Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a freight or box car with the door cleated or locked with my device. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the rear edge of the door bearing a portion of my locking or cleating device. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a slotted jaw forming a part of this invention, hereinafter described. Fig. 4isalongitudinal sectional view of the slotted jaw with thelower half or bottom cut away, hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is an end view of the slotted jaw, as shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 form a modifica-tion of my invention, hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference denote like parts in the drawings.

The object of this invention is to securely fasten and cleata freight-car door, to prevent smoke, cinders, water, snow, or any damaging substance from entering the car, and at the same time looking the door in such a manner that it cannot be broken open, all of which I make clear in the following description. The invention consists in this instance in ,an angle-plate having on its edge-surface centrally a semicircular boss extending nearly the full length of the edge inward, and perforated with a hole, through which moves loosely a-T- head bolt, and a jaw slotted its entire length, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a car-door.

B is an angle-plate, having on its edge the boss b, perforated with a hole its entire length.

0 is a screw-threaded T-head bolt, passing loosely through the perforation in the boss I), and carrying on its outer end the wrench-handlednuta and a small pin, 0, to prevent the handle a from becoming unscrewed and lost.

D is the jaw, slotted its entire length longitudinally and vertically, as shown by e, Figs. 3, 4, and 5. A portion of this vertical slot on each side of the central longitudinal slot is made somewhat larger than the other, forming a shoulder, as shown at 2', Figs. 3 and 4, for the purpose of preventing the T-head bolt from being pushed back after it has been drawn to its place by screwing down the wrenchhandled nut a on the flat surface of the boss I), which action brings the T-head of the bolt 0 tight against the vertically-slotted surface of the jaw D in the enlarged portion of the slot, as shown by c, Fig. 4. The jaw D is embedded in the body or side of the car, its outer surface, h, being flush with the surface of the side of the car, so as to allow the car-door to pa s freely over it when the bolt 0 has been loosened and withdrawn preparatory to opening the door, or when the device is not cleated or locked.

At one end of the jaw D are two slots, 02, extending from the outside surface inwardone on each side of the central longitudinal slot, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 through which may be passed the sealing .tin or wire. The jaw D is fastened to the car by bevel-headed bolts passing through the holes f, Fig. 4, and secured on the inside of the car.

In Figs. 6 and 7, letters I, J, and K, is a modification of my invention. A metal strip, I, having a latch, J, may be fastened to the side or edge of the door, the single jaw K being embedded in the surface of the car in the same manner as the jaw D, so that when the door is pushed to its place the latch J maybe dropped into the single jawK and secured in any manner mechanically arranged.

The construction of my invention may be various, but in this instance is as follows: The angle-plate B is fastened at a central point (if but one be used, but if two be used the spaces apart should be divided equally) on the end or edge of the car-door by screws or bolts. Before the angle-plate is put on the door; the bolt 0 is passed through the perforation in theboss b, the T-head of the bolt 0 brought up against the shoulder formed at the baseof the boss b, when the wrench-handled nut a is screwed on, the small pin a being driven through the end of the bolt to prevent the nut a from being taken off or lost. The

end of the bolt may be hammered to a rivethead after the nut a is screwed on,for the same purpose as the pin, or both may be used. The T-head of the bolt 0 should always be wider than the width of the central longitudinal slot in the jaw D, to prevent its being turned lengthwise of the slot and removed,

and a portion of this bolt from the head outward maybe :made square tofitacorresponding box-in the inner .end of theboss b, which would prevent the bolt 0 from being turned so as to throw' the T-head lengthwise of the slot; but as this is only in the different mechanical construction by which my invention may be put together, I do not deem it of any further importance than to mention it. The jaw D is set into the sideof the car, with the central longitudinal slot on a line with the center of the bolt 0. A small space is out out of the wood-work of the-car, as shown at m, Fig. 1, sufficientlylargeto allow the T-head of the bolt 0 to be entered into themouth or end of the slot e when the door is being closed, and to be withdrawn when-the door is being opened. The endof the jaw 1), in which are p the "slotsd, Fig. 3, should always extend toward the end'ofthe car, as shown by 9, Figs. 1 1, 3, and 4, so that when "the door is being.

closed and the-bolt-Q is passed into the slot and drawn up to its p'lace n'ear the shouldered portion of the slot in the jaw the 'slots -d will be clear and free, that thesea'lin-g tin o'r wire may be passed through-them and sealed, thus preventing the bolt 0 from being pushed backward past theseal until the-seal is broken and removed.

The-operation of-my invent-ionas applied to the door of a freight-car is as follows: The car having been loaded, the door Ais pushed forward on the rails on theside of the car to *a point where the T-head bolt C may be pushed into the space as, Fig. 1, cirt-out'of the woodwork. The bolt-head, being'now in position, enters the slot 6 as thedoo'r-ispushed forward and closed. When the door has traveled its full distance and is tight against the vertical jamb on the edge of the-doorway, the T-head ofthe boltGfshou'ld make a loose joint against the shoulder 2', having of cou rseentered the slotted-jaw at-g, Figs. 1, 3, and 4, and having been drawn to its position by screwing-on =the' wrench-handled nut a on -the surfac'e of the boss 12, which action draws the bolt head against the inside of the lips of the jaw D, and

' brings the whole lengthof theinsidesu-rface of the car-door tight against the side of the car near the edge of the opening in the car,- -th us making a j'amb-ortight joint the whole length from top to bottom of thecar-d'oor, preventing water, snow,-'smoke, cinders, or any substance from beating in, as has heretofore been the case, causing damage to the freight, loss to the shipper, and claims against the railroads.

After the door has been locked at itsfron-t" edge 'by the ordinary method 0f securing the pi-n'through the 'hasp by a sealing-wire and seal and perfectly cleated with my device, an additional wire or tin seal may be passed the bolt 0, being larger in width than the centrallongitudinal slot, cannot be turned lengthwise of the slot and removed, and the shank of thebolt -O-for half its length from the T- 'h'eadoutward is made square,which fits a corresponding square box at the base of the perforation ofthe boss b, cast in the metal. The balance of the bolt is screw-threaded.

The object of making the bolt square at the sh'a-nkytopass through a square perforation in the boss b,.is to prevent turning the bolt lengthwise of'the slot in the jaw D.

When it is desired to unfasten the door,th e seal may be broken and removed, and the nut a may be loosened sufficiently to relax the bolt O, which slides through the slot e into the Space w as the door is pushed backward-or opened. Then-the bolt may be drawn 'out 'till the head comes against the base or shoulder formed byth'e boss I), the nut a being now screwed on again to hold the boltin this position whilethe'door'is being opened, preventing the bolt =0 from scraping against the side of the car, and-allowing a perfectly free n1ove ment of the car-door.

Having described myinvention, what I claim, and de'si-re to secure by Letters 'Patent, is-- 1. Thepla'te B,with-the boss b, having a perforation its-'e'ntirelength, fastened to the edge of a -cardoor, and a bolt, 0, passing loosely through the boss I), and carrying a wrenchhandled n1i-t, a, and pin 0, as and for the purpose set forth. 7

2. The jaw fastened to and embedded in the sidesu-rface of the car, having a-longitudi'nal and horizontal slot its entire length,beari-ng a shoulder on i'ts'i-nside surface or lips, and having two lateral slots from its outside surface inward, one on each side of the longitudinal slot, as and for the purpose shown and described.

3. l-n a car-door clea't or fastener, the combination of a bolt passing through a perforated plate fastened to the edge of a car -door with a jaw set into the surface of or fixed to thesi'd'e of a car, as and for the purpose set forth and specified.

4. The combination of the plate B andbolt O, "carrying the handled nut a and pin 0, and fastened to a car-door, with the jaw D, embedded inthe surface or fixed to the side of a carpallas and for the purpose-set forth, shown, and described.

JAMES B. ROBINSON.

Witnesses:

GLST-ARR, Giro. I. LAMBERTON.

ICC 

